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Acting for Grades 11-12, NIDA Kensington

Practice skill-based learning led by industry experts across a range of performing arts disciplines. NIDA courses for grade 11 and 12 students are designed to support and inspire young people at any stage of their creative development.

Learning framework

Each term we focus on a specific area of performance practice to ensure students have a varied experience and learn a range of essential creative skills.

Students are able to join us at the start of any term during the year.

NIDA Open Drama courses are designed across a four term structure within the following learning framework:

Term one Improvisation and Performance Craft Term two Voice and MovementTerm three Devising and Contemporary PerformanceTerm four Script Work and Staging

Term 1, 2019: Mess with the Text

Start with a Yes and see where it takes you! Improve your creativity and collaboration skills as you integrate pre-existing texts into your improvistaion tool kit. Laugh out loud as you uncover the Rules of Agreement and use them to disrupt the narrative of your favourite texts. Keep yourself open-minded to the endless possibilities and master your spur-of-the-moment thinking.

Course components

Spontaneity: Develop spontaneity and performance craft and apply it to long and short form improvisation.

Character Development: Improvise and sustain a truthful/believable character.

Collaboration: Collaborate with your peers as you work together to explore different improvisation styles.

Term 2, 2019: The Speaking Body

Embody the fundamentals of vocal and physical techniques in an inspiring and practical course. Engage in acting-based exercises and tasks that promote the self-discipline necessary to be a great performer. Improve the awareness of your physical self as you partake in simulated actor-training exercises current in the professional industry. Move the body through active release to find effective alignment, breath use, and sound. Explore language and text unlocking the lyricism within poetry, verse, and Shakespearean scenes and perform them for family and friends at the end of the course.

Course components

Voice: Explore effective alignment for use of breath and vocalisation of sound.

Performance skill: Apply specific voice and movement choices to imbue character and performance.

Term 3, 2019: Pretty Little Suspects

The FBI is knocking; they have begun a classified program that uses exceptional civillains to crack infamous cold cases, and they need you! Develop the skills and stamina required to create and promote your own work as you engage in devising stategies for adapting suspense and mystery novels into a live performance.Find stories in the voices we don’t always hear and talent in the places we don’t always look. This course delivers highly practical classes and will engage you in collaborative theatre-making techniques that combine text, movement, music, and design. Work as an ensemble to present your final live performance work to family and friends.

Course components

Collaboration: Explore the varied skills that are needed by an ensemble making contemporary performance.

Industry: Gain an insight into the creative practises of leading companies in contemporary performance.

Term 4, 2019: Entrances, Exits and Bothersome Props

From Will Ferrell to Rose Byrne, find out what it takes to be a great comic actor. Challenge your acting skills and embark on this hysterically fun journey in physical farce and satire as you study some of the greatest comic actors of all time. Be ready to laugh yourself silly when you stage scenes from your favourite comedies of errors. Get ready for offstage shenanigans and onstage bedlam as you bravely slip into a land of mounting chaos and mistaken identities.

Course components

Physical Farce: Learn how to manipulate the body to portray highly exagerated and humourous situations.

Text interpretation: Apply techniques to analyse and interpret given scenes and develop skills to place the punchlines effectively for comedy.

Acting technique: Learn different creative methods in developing dynamic characters and master the art of physical precision for effective storytelling.